The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave Delhi Police two more weeks’ to do a comprehensive inquiry into the leakage of content of chargesheet, filed in case related to Delhi riots case, to the media even before cognisance was taken by the concerned court.
Justice Mukta Gupta ordered the Delhi police to submit its report on the inquiry before the next date of hearing August 5.
The High Court’s direction came on Jamia Millia Islamia University student and riots accused Asif Iqbal Tanha’s plea alleging misconduct by police officers in leaking his alleged disclosure statement in the main chargesheet to the media.
The special public prosecutor (SPP) said that although notice was issued to parties concerned for the purposes of the inquiry, the same could not be concluded on account of COVID-19-induced lockdown.
Vigilance report
The court also reminded the SPP that the police’s earlier vigilance report on the issue “had nothing in it” and that the court was not satisfied with the report.
Mr. Tanha, in his plea, had said he was aggrieved by various news reports appearing in electronic media that alleged he had confessed to organising and inciting communal riots that occurred in north-east Delhi.
He had contended that the action of the media houses in placing such documents in the public violated the programme code.
Mr. Tanha had alleged that he was coerced by police officers to sign certain papers and make statements while in their custody.
He had contended that the alleged disclosure statements, which have become a subject matter of news reports, were not given voluntarily and are inadmissible as evidence in court.
The Delhi police had stated that the information about the disclosure statement of Mr. Tanha was not leaked by its officers. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) in an affidavit had stated that Delhi Police was also “aggrieved” by the news report in which the alleged confessional statement Mr. Tanha was leaked.
Mr. Tanha was arrested in May last year. He was released on regular bail last month by the High Court.
